Computer viruses are never naturally occurring; they are always man-made. Once created and released, however, their spread is not directly under human control. There are multiple types of viruses that can cause immediate harm to your PC. Even such a simple virus is dangerous because it will quickly use all available memory and bring the system to a halt. An even more dangerous type of virus is one capable of transmitting itself across networks and bypassing security systems. When they enter a system, without the user’s consent or knowledge, they are normally hosted within the code of other programs. The virus does not act until the infected program is run. Some of them are programmed to activate when a certain condition is met (a specific date, a certain user action, etc.).
There are technically millions of types of malware and viruses out there today. Below are just a few examples of the common ones that can affect the everyday user:
Macro viruses: A macro is a piece of code that can be embedded in a data file. A macro virus is thus a virus that exists as a macro attached to a data file. In most respects, macro viruses are like all other viruses. The main difference is that they are attached to data files (i.e., documents) rather than executable programs.
Worms: Worms are very similar to viruses in that they are computer programs that replicate functional copies of themselves (usually to other computer systems via network connections) and often, but not always, contain some functionality that will interfere with the normal use of a computer or a program.
Trojan horses: A Trojan horse is a program that does something undocumented which the programmer intended, but that users would not accept if they knew about it. By some definitions, a virus is a particular case of a Trojan horse, namely, one which is able to spread to other programs (i.e., it turns them into Trojans too).
Memory Resident Viruses: They usually fix themselves inside the computer memory. They get activated every time the OS runs and end up infecting other opened files. They hide in RAM.
Overwrite Viruses: These types of viruses delete any information in a file they infect, leaving them partially or completely useless once they are infected. Once in the computer, they replaces all the file content but the file size doesn’t change.
Directory Virus: Also known as cluster virus or file system virus. They infect the computer’s directory by changing the path indicating file location. They are usually located in the disk but affect the entire directory.
Our anti-virus/anti-malware software scans files or your computer's memory for certain patterns that may indicate an infection. The patterns it looks for are based on the signatures, or definitions, of known viruses. Virus authors are continually releasing new and updated viruses, so it is important that you have the latest and greatest protection installed on your computer. That's where ESG comes in. We conducted extensive research to find the best possible software solution for our customers. We wanted to make sure we were confident in providing a product that would effectively protect, remove and prevent virus and malware files from harming our clients computers. This software is a simple download that can be set up for automatic or manual scans. The automatic scan feature will scan specific files or directories and prompt you at set intervals to perform complete scans. The manual scan is perfect for manually scanning files you receive from an outside source before opening them. For example, saving and scanning email attachments or web downloads rather than selecting the option to open them directly from the source and also scanning media, including CDs and DVDs, for viruses before opening any of the files. You can choose which method of scanning is right for you. We are confident that our software will fully protect your PC and prevent a multitude of the common threats being circled throughout the web today.
Our Antivirus/Antimalware software protection package is available for a low rate. Call 800-641-3314 to get the award-winning software from ESG.
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